Daily Archive: Thursday, October 27, 2016

A press release from the GRA follows: In wake of discoveries about malpractice committed recently by officers of the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA), the Commissioner-General, Godfrey Statia summoned a general meeting with staff at the Authority’s Camp Street Headquarters on Wednesday, October 26.

ST JOHN’S, Antigua, CMC – Legendary West Indies captain Sir Viv Richards believes the poor run of results in the current series against Pakistan could be a sign that tensions between players and the West Indies Cricket Board may be reaching breaking point.

The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) has approved an US$8 million loan ($1.6b) for a programme to help reduce maternal, perinatal and neonatal deaths in Guyana, a release from the Bank said today.

(Trinidad Guardian) Government will seek to persuade commercial banks to allocate a certain amount of foreign exchange “for ordinary people” who have medical expenses, tuition, travel and the like, Finance Minister Colm Imbert says.

With Minister of Public Health, Dr George Norton scheduled to submit his report today on allegations of procurement malpractices by some of his staff, President David Granger will soon appoint an independent investigative team which will report with recommendations on the issue.

The Ministry of Social Protection’s Department of Labour has excluded the Guyana Bauxite and General Workers Union (GB&GWU), which has been representing workers at Barama Company Ltd (BCL) since February, stating that it recognizes the Guyana Labour Union (GLU) as the bargaining body.

Over the next four years, it is expected that 4,400 school dropouts, between the ages of 16 and 25, will be trained and eased into the working world under Citizen Security Strengthening Programme (CCSP).

The European Union (EU) on Tuesday handed over 24 million Euros ($5.2b) to Guyana under a sugar programme which had been put on hold after Parliament was prorogued by former President Donald Ramotar in 2014.

Frank Henry, his wife Josephine Henry, along with Trevor Abrams, who were charged in 2010 with the wedding house murder of Victor Williams, were on Tuesday committed to stand trial for the crime.

Charged in July 2015 with committing a $17 million burglary, after a gun allegedly found in his possession was linked to the stolen booty, Nabadamingi Gobin was yesterday sentenced to two years for the offence.

Officers from the Guyana Police Force (GPF) recently benefitted from Training in Combating Trafficking in Persons provided by the International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL).

The Georgetown Mayor and City Council’s lack of finances continues to delay its efforts to restore City Hall to its former glory despite it securing the support of the European Union (EU).

A man and a woman were yesterday read separate charges by a city magistrate, of fraudulently converting a combined total of $4 million.

The government yesterday said that the opposition PPP/C had erroneously stated that allocations to constitutional agencies had been cut in the upcoming 2017 budget.

The Preliminary Inquiry (PI) into the charges against Alfie Garraway, Janiel Howard and Leroy Williams, the three men accused of throwing a grenade at the Kaieteur News (KN) Office, continued yesterday with testimony from two of the news agency’s staff.

Attorney General Basil Williams yesterday declined to say whether he has provided an explanation about the beginning of the process to compulsorily acquire Carmichael Street plots to Cabinet as he had been instructed as, according to him, discussions at such fora are not for the public’s ears.

With Guyana no longer in danger of being on the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) blacklist, Attorney General Basil Williams yesterday said that the focus now will be on securing money laundering convictions and he expressed the belief that training is necessary for all those who have a part to play in making this a reality.

US Chief Judge Dora Lizette Irizarry has deferred the sentencing of Guyanese businessman, Ed Ahmad on fraud conspiracy charges to February 3rd next year.

Ansa McAl, through its Stag Beer brand, yesterday teamed up with the Guyana Floodlights Softball Cricket Association (GFSCA) for the fourth consecutive year as sponsorship continues to pour in for the upcoming Guyana Cup 6.

Watcliffe Charles, the watchman who was struck down and killed while crossing the Plaisance Public Road, East Coast Demerara last Friday, died of multiple injuries, a family member said yesterday.

Thirty-eight farmers recently received macro-propagation training for sweet potatoes and cassava and seedling production training for hot peppers from NAREI under the Agriculture Policy Programme (APP).

Another date has been set for a decision in the trial of Carvil Duncan, the former Director who is accused of stealing almost a million dollars, from the Guyana Power and Light Inc.

ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates, CMC – Pakistan captain Misbah-ul-Haq has pointed to the lack of experience in the West Indies side as the reason behind their recent losing streak.

The Ministry of Public Telecommunications is inviting web designers, software developers, computer programmers, and other interested persons to showcase their talents by participating in its first ‘Hack-a-ton.’

KINGSTON, Jamaica, CMC – West Indies Cricket Board president, Dave Cameron, has backed the women’s side to easily qualify for next year’s World Cup in England, despite their recent series loss to the hosts in the Caribbean.

BERLIN,  (Reuters) – Six medalists from the 2008 Beijing Games had their medals stripped by the International Olympic Committee yesterday after they tested positive for banned substances in re-tests of their samples, the IOC said.

Three weeks after a  blaze destroyed a single bond at the Gafoors Shopping Complex at Houston, East Bank Demerara, the cause of the fire is yet to be determined as investigations are still ongoing.

Dear Editor, The more I probe and listen, the more I learn about some of the rationales and underpinnings behind the local lessons epidemic. 

According to a caution statement tendered and admitted at the trial of Clifton Graham who is accused of murdering taxi driver Rolston Bernard Henry, the accused was on the scene and witnessed the killing.

LONDON, (Reuters) – Juan Mata swept home to steer Manchester United into the League Cup quarter-finals with a 1-0 win over holders and bitter local rivals Manchester City as Jose Mourinho got one over old adversary Pep Guardiola.

Dear Editor, I read in one of the on-line newspapers that President Granger has announced that the Guyana Government will reduce the length of time it takes to get a marriage license in Guyana.

Guyana and Trinidad Mutual and the Guyana Fitness Games will stage the second annual grand two-day Health and Fitness Expo at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall starting from November 5.

Six Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOS) benefitted from donations for youth programmes and initiatives from the Guyana Power and Light Incorporation (GPL) in observance of the company’s seventeenth anniversary, GINA said.

The 2016 cycling season will resume on Saturday in the National Park with the staging of the fifth annual Payless Variety Store 11-race programme.

Dear Editor, With reference to a story in Stabroek News, dated 3rd October 2016 captioned `Cash-strapped Bartica pleading with residents to pay up’, the following is my response.

A belligerent 93 from Jailall Udan propelled Head Office to a crushing 116-run win over Central Services when the Banks DIH Limited Inter-Department Cricket Championship continued on Tuesday.

Dear Editor, At the Linden Hospital Complex, our mission is to achieve the highest standards in the practice of medicine and to promote public health and safety.

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates, CMC – West Indies speedster Shannon Gabriel has achieved a career-high in the ICC Test player rankings following his impressive outing in the second Test against Pakistan in Abu Dhabi.

Dear Editor, It seems as though the airport authority at Piarco is either a power unto itself or they are harassing and or robbing passengers in transit there to and from Guyana.

CARACAS/SAN CRISTOBAL, Venezuela  (Reuters) – Venezuela’s increasingly militant opposition stepped up its push to oust leftist leader Nicolas Maduro yesterday with protests that drew hundreds of thousands but also saw unrest leading to dozens of injuries and arrests.

(Reuters) – When Kevin Durant joined the Golden State Warriors many felt a championship was a mere formality, but a humbling season-opening loss has sent a sudden wakeup call to one of the NBA’s most talented teams of all time.

Dear Editor, There seems to be a disturbing trend in which the findings of the Auditor General are coming under increasing attacks from Heads of Government Agencies.

JOHANNESBURG, (Reuters) – South Africa’s anti-graft watchdog has told President Jacob Zuma that its report into possible undue political influence of his friends is final, dimming his hopes of adding to its findings as he battles pressure from within his own ANC party to resign.

WASHINGTON, (Reuters) – The Republican Party’s two-year run in the majority of the U.S.

UNITED NATIONS, (Reuters) – The United States yesterday abstained for the first time from a United Nations General Assembly vote on a resolution calling for an end to a U.S.

Dear Editor, I was appalled to see the headlines of SN on October 25, 2016 which stated that the Hon.

The ‘Stage of Champions’ mega event continues to garner much attention from private entities who have been flexing their corporate muscles.

Speed demon Shan Seejatan is all fired up and ready to put pedal to the medal when Guyana hosts the finale of the Caribbean Motor Racing Championships (CMRC) come November 13.

BEIRUT,  (Reuters) – A veteran Christian leader is set to fill Lebanon’s long-vacant presidency in a deal that underlines the ascendancy of the Iranian-backed Hezbollah movement and the diminished role of Saudi Arabia in the country.

LONDON,  (Reuters) – Health authorities in Colombia and Brazil will launch large-scale mosquito-control campaigns using a using naturally occurring bacteria known as Wolbachia to fight the spread of dengue and Zika viruses among people.

Dear Editor, In Guyana, it is good to enjoy democracy and freedom; the freedom to export, the freedom to import within the confines of the law.

QAYYARA/BAGHDAD, Iraq, (Reuters) – Islamic State fighters kept up yesterday their fierce defence of the southern approaches to Mosul, which has held up Iraqi troops there and forced an elite army unit east of the city to put a more rapid advance on hold.

LOS ANGELES,  (Reuters) – Grammy-winning rapper Coolio pleaded guilty yesterday to unlawful firearm possession for carrying a loaded pistol in a backpack into Los Angeles International Airport last month and was sentenced to three years of probation, prosecutors said.

Dear Editor, In the struggle to improve West Indian performances in international cricket, there are, no doubt, a number of issues to tackle.

(Reuters) – New Zealand beat India by 19 runs in the fourth one-day international to level the five-match series at 2-2 as the hosts suffered a mid-innings collapse at Ranchi yesterday.

(Reuters) – The Buenos Aires Herald published its last daily edition after 140 years yesterday, blaming tough economic conditions and a broad shift among readers to digital media.

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Guyana initially welcomed the Barbados Government’s commitment to “a vigorous investigation” of the “act of terrorism” in the Cubana Airliner bombing and to ensuring “that this evil would be wiped off the face of the earth,” but days later slammed the island’s defiant decision to refuse jurisdiction for the crime.

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – British actor Hugh Laurie, best known for playing a cantankerous doctor in the TV series ‘House’, received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on Tuesday.

ST JOHN’S, Antigua, CMC – Batsman Stacy-Ann King has paid the price for a run of poor form and has been dropped from the West Indies Women’s squad for next month’s tour of India.

At a consultation held on Monday last on Guyana’s preparedness for oil extraction, where several pertinent questions were raised, Chris Pateman Jones of the Oil and Gas Sector of consultant firm EY Global outlined what he referred to as the positives and negatives of oil production.

LUANDA, (Reuters) – Angola’s Supreme Court has asked President José Eduardo dos Santos to respond to an inquiry on why he appointed his daughter as head of the state oil firm, according to court documents seen by Reuters.

Dear Editor, I read with great interest the concerns of the acting Police Commissioner in Guyana about the method of  granting of bail by judges and magistrates in the country.